Rani donates to rebuild school after fire

The Rani Group of companies has responded to a call for help by Uukwiyoongwe Combined School by donating N$40 000 to help rebuild the school after a devastating fire earlier this year.

The fire, reportedly started in an act of arson, destroyed the school library, storeroom and a classroom. School principal Albertina Hamalwa, who received the donations on Wednesday, praised the Rani Group for what she termed a swift response to the plea.

"The fire caused huge losses as valuable resources, tools and supplies that we greatly depended on for the smooth operation of our school were destroyed," Hamalwa said.

The donation will enable the school to recover from the setback and continue providing learners with the resources and tools they need to thrive and succeed in their academic journey.

Valuable assistance

The school is home to 150 learners and offers classes from pre-primary to grade nine.

Swapo Party regional coordinator Werner Iita, who handed over the donation on behalf of Rani, said education is a shared responsibility as government cannot do it alone.

Iita said individuals and the business community should emulate Rani and meet government halfway.

Iita said Swapo received a letter asking for help from the school and subsequently approached three businesses in the region, with Rani Group positively responding to the request.

"The company requests that the school ensure they put the funds to good use and for the intended purpose of ensuring that the Namibian child is assisted in their education," he said.

In January, Chief Inspector Thomas Aiyambo from the Oshana community policing subdivision, said the arson occurred around 14:40 on a Saturday while the school was closed.

He said that due to the community's vigilance and swift call for help, the fire did not spread and burn down the entire school.

“The windows of the library building were allegedly broken and there were match sticks scattered outside the windows,” Aiyambo said.